When it comes to slot machines or slot machines, we can freely say that an integral part of each slot is a symbol. Logically, if there were no symbols, there would be no slots. In this text, we will not deal with the history of slots, because we have already covered that part here, but we will focus on the basic unit of slots, the symbols!
Classic – from cards to fruit trees
The popularity of poker in America during, and especially at the end of the 19th century, led to the influence on the first slot machines. When we know this fact, we can’t be surprised that the first slot machines were based on poker. These machines had five reels, and the symbols were in the form of card symbols – hearts, spade, club and diamonds. However, the symbols differed little from owner to owner of these machines, so some slots also had horseshoes, the famous American “freedom bell” or Liberty Bell, but also the well-known “Lucky 7” symbol.
However, slot machines were soon banned, so the owners had to come up with a new way of paying out winnings. That’s how we come to the famous “fruit trees”. It is interesting that the British call them “Fruit Machines”. The slot machine owners have introduced new symbols, such as lemon, cherry, watermelon and orange, while doing so, they also kept some old symbols like bells, bars and Lucky 7 symbols.
Amongst the classic slot symbols, we can also mention the Bar symbol, which had its premiere just at the time of the ban on slot machines. This symbol had a second edition, which was presented with a pack of chewing gum, but it quickly changed its shape.
And, as for fruit trees, if a winning combination was made from the symbol of a fruit, the player would get a chewing gum with that taste.
Symbol functions – basic symbols of video slots
As mentioned earlier in this article, the symbol is the basic unit of slots. The symbols serve to form winning combinations and, accordingly, pay out the winnings. They are often of different values, and players can be informed about their values within the slot itself.
Usually the lower values are the card symbols A, J, K, Q and the numbers 9 and 10. As for the symbols of the higher value, they depend on the theme of the slot. For example, if we are talking about the great slot of the provider Expanse Fairy in Wonderland, in addition to the card symbols, there will be a fairy, her helper, a rabbit and a bird on the reels, as the main symbols of this slot.
Special symbols of video slots – wild
This is a symbol that we could very easily classify under the basic symbols of slots because we can almost always find them in video slots. Its presence is not as rare as with the Bonus symbol, but we can expect it very often.
The wild symbol is one of the symbols of video slots that has a special function. Just like in a draw game, the wild serves to replace the basic symbol. So, its main role is to participate with regular symbols in creating winning combinations.
In video slots, this symbol often appears on all reels, but there are also slots where the wild appears only on a certain reel or more, but its function does not change.
Types of wild symbols
Depending on the video slot, the wild symbol may have different shapes and purposes. Let us mention first the Expanding Wilds. The main function of these wilds remains the same, it replaces regular symbols. The special thing about this wild is that when it appears on a certain reel, it multiplies and expands to the entire reel.
Stacked Wilds work on a similar principle, and they fill entire reels, but usually only one symbol is needed to fill the reel with this symbol.
As for the Sticky Wilds symbol, their main feature is that they remain on the reels of several spins. They usually occur within free spins and function in correlation with each other, according to the principle that the more sticky wilds, the extra free spins.
Moving Wilds are symbols close to sticky wildcards, and they stay on the reels during multiple spins, but there is one difference. Moving Wilds will constantly change their place during these spins and influence the formation of winning combinations.
Shifting Wilds can also be classified in the same family as Sticky Wilds and Moving Wilds. The only difference is that these wilds move down. They usually appear at the top of the reels and during a few spins they go down until they simply “slip” off the reels.
Respin Wild is a symbol that has the function of giving you one free spin. We can see this based on the name re-spin. This usually means that all the reels will turn once more, usually leaving the wilds on the reels.
In addition to their main role being to replace regular symbols, wilds often double their winnings when they participate in a winning combination. Sometimes they come with special multipliers, which we call Multiplier Wilds. The wild symbol is one of the significant symbol that you should definitely look on any casino game.
Special symbols of video slots – scatter symbol
We can say that the scatter is the main symbol of video slots and usually represents the main symbol that reflects the theme of the slot. Take for example the famous slot The Book of Ra, where the book is a scatter symbol. This special symbol differs from regular symbols in several ways. First of all, this is the only symbol that does not have to form a winning combination within the payline, but its winnings are counted wherever it is on the reels.
Another thing that distinguishes the scatter symbol from other symbols is that it opens up additional games in which players make additional winnings. However, the player must first collect at least three of these symbols in order to come up with additional games. You can often come across symbols that will require you to arrange the scatter symbols from left to right. That is why it is best to first find out about the game and its symbols within the slot itself. You can also do that on our portal, which enriches its offer of game reviews every day.
One of the best bonuses that scatter symbols can trigger is the Free Spins bonus. The number of free spins you can win under this bonus varies depending on the video slot in which they appear.
If we had to point out any flaw in these symbols, it would be that the scatter is the only symbol that cannot be replaced by a wild.
Bonus symbol
It is also worth mentioning the Bonus symbol that often appears in video slots, together with or instead of the scatter symbol. If there is no scatter symbol in a particular slot, the bonus symbol will play a major role in that slot and will serve to open bonus games.
It could be said that traditional slot machines nowadays are in the shadow of video slots, of which there are more and more every day. It’s just that the whole world has moved to the internet. So there is not always a need to use these classic symbols, because each video slot has symbols that reflect the theme of the same. However, game makers do not forget that there are also players who like classic slots, so they continue to produce them.
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